World handball champ Dennis Uffer ready for more

View full sizeMike Greenlar/The Post-StandardDennis Uffer, of Onondaga, is a five-time world and four time national champion in the sport of handball. He started playing in the streets of the Bronx when he was 14.Onondaga, NY -- You've got to hand it to him. When it comes to handball, Dennis Uffer, of Onondaga, knows his stuff.

Uffer, one of Central New York's most successful amateur athletes, returned from the most recent Waterford Crystal World Handball Championships, held last fall in Portland, Ore., with another first-place trophy.

This is the fifth consecutive time Uffer has returned from the competition as a world champion.

Over the years, Uffer, 66, has competed in different age divisions, in singles and doubles events and in one-wall and four-wall events.

Although he has competed in different levels, one thing has remained the same: He's always come back from the championships with at least one first-place trophy. The den in his home at Belleflower Circle is filled with trophies and plaques amassed over a lifetime of competition.

Handball is a game played by one to four players, using their hands to hit a small rubber ball off a wall. Like tennis and other racquet games, an opponent's shot must be returned before bouncing more than once on the floor.

Some handball courts have only one wall in front. Other courts have four walls, and the ball can bounce off any of the walls. No matter how many walls in the court, the ball can only bounce once on the floor.

Uffer became interested in handball when he was 14 and living in New York City, where one-wall handball courts are as commonplace as a yellow cab. He said he was watching a group of older men getting ready to play in a park.

"They said, 'Hey kid. You want to come and play with us?'" Uffer recalls.

He's been playing ever since.

Uffer, who is a territory manager in New York state for work-clothing manufacturer Williamson-Dickie, plays several times a week at the downtown YMCA.

Jeff Stonecash, a Syracuse University political science professor and Uffer's frequent opponent, described Uffer as a fierce competitor.

Stonecash, 63, has been playing handball since his college days 45 years ago.

"He lives and dies to win, " Stonecash said. "Off the court, he's a very nice guy. On the court, watch out."

Uffer's winning streak dates back to 1997, when the championships were held in Winnipeg.

The Waterford Crystal world championships are held every three years, and each competition is held at a different location around the globe. The championships are sponsored by the world-famous manufacturer of Irish crystal glass.

Between world championships, Uffer keeps in competitive form by competing in handball tournaments across the country. Earlier this month, he returned from the New Jersey state championships with a first-place trophy in singles competition.

He is already looking forward to 2012, when the championships are to be held in Ireland.